Rolfing aims to restore the body to a state of balance or homeostasis, and provide optimum functioning. Since the body is constantly in the process of self-correction to achieve homeostasis, Rolfing recognizes that an ideal state of balance, reduced stress and efficient functioning at all levels is desired.

Rolfing is a method that helps move the body more closely to this optimal state. A body which has received Rolfing effectively "holds" this more efficient orientation. One of the most obvious demonstrations of this process, is the higher level of tissue malleability and coherence in the client's tissues years after they have had their basic series work.

More recently, there have emerged a few alternate competing theories that relate to Rolfing. One widely discussed theory is called the thixotropic of gel-sol-gel theory. Basically, this theory states that touch/pressure generates heat and that this heat softens or liquefies connective tissue and turns it from a gelatinous to a liquid substance. Once the tissue is softened, it becomes more malleable and can be more easily reorganized and manipulated. Once we have placed structures in a new relationship to each other, it soon recongeals and returns to its original state.

Another model says that pressure activates sensory receptors and these receptors send signals to the brain, which in turn, facilitate change in affected tissue, increasing its tensile strength and making it easier to manipulate.

Other Rolfers, such as Liz Gaggini, have argued for a hybrid theory that incorporates elements of both theories. While these various theories have been much debated recently, the traditional model introduced above still serves as a simple theory for the extraordinary lasting change that Rolfing creates.

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WHAT IS THE ROLFING TEN SERIES?

When Dr. Rolf began teaching students to Rolf in the 1960s, she taught them a sequence of sessions which is are generally referred to as "the recipe." This recipe is a sequence of 10 sessions each of which focuses on a specific region of fascial geography and has detailed structural goals. The logic of this sequence is a consequence of over 50 years of frequently revised thought and practical application. This pattern of sessions can be divided into three discrete units. The first three sessions are called the "sleeve sessions" and are devoted to loosening and balancing the surface layers of connective tissue. The sleeve can be visualized as the connective tissue network which is arranged in a series of vertical bags. Easing the outer layers and improving the relationship between these bags is a critical first step in the process of achieving improved structural balance and integration. In Dr. Rolf's view, it is not appropriate to work deep in the tissue unless the stress you release has somewhere to go. If the first three hours have been performed successfully, the deeper work can be translated through the surface and integrated more completely. The first hour is often referred to as the breath session and focuses freeing and mobilizing the ribs and discriminating them from the pelvis. Connective work is also done along the upper leg, hamstrings and through the head, neck and spine. This connective work from the head to the sacrum is typically done at the end of each hour. The second hour provides support for the first session and focuses on balancing the foot and muscles of the lower leg. The third hour typically involves a view of the body from the side and seeks to organize the body around a conceptual lateral line that runs from the earlobe to the lateral malleolus, the protruding "ridge" of bone on the outer lateral surface of the ankle. Increasing a client's awareness of this line is an important aspect of this and later sessions. Another term for this hour comes from Dr. Rolf's protégé, Emmett Hutchins. He calls this hour the "sloppy block" session and views that the body, when seen from the side, as a series of blocks and seeks to arrange the body around the lateral line.

The next four sessions are referred to as the core sessions. The core is a conceptual space deep in the center of the body. Imagine a human skeleton and place your hand inside the skeleton at the base of the pelvis. Now slide your arm up under the ribs to the jaw. If you could extend your hand up to the top of the cranium, you would have a clear sense of what most Rolfers mean by "core." The core sessions begin with a session in the inner leg. It focuses on a conceptual inner line that supports the core and runs from the inner arch of the foot to the deep adductor tendons that attach into the pelvic floor, a thick band of connective tissue at the base of the pelvis on which the intestine sit. The fifth session is concerned with the abdomen and focuses on balancing the surface and deep abdominal muscles. Fascial restrictions in and around the visceral (organ) system are normally addressed in this hour as well. The six and seventh hours can be thought of as a unit which includes the surface and deep structures of the hips and the spine and continues that work up to the head and neck.

The last three hours are referred to as the integrative hours. This is where the Rolfer has an opportunity to tie his previous sessions together, working in the middle layers of connective tissue. Dr. Rolf encouraged her students to look at the body anew in these final sessions. Rolfers are encouraged to ask a series of questions about what our client's body needs to be more complete, more balanced, freer to express its full potential. While there are a variety of creative ways to achieve this higher level of integration including movement sessions, subtle body cueing (a type of education and awareness through movement) and subtle middle layer integrative techniques there is a simple model many of us use. You might call this approach the upper, lower, joint sequence. The traditional integrative pattern might look something like this: an upper body 8th hour, a lower body 9th hour and a 10th hour which emphasizes small movements in major joints and movement education in sitting and standing positions.

Most Rolfers agree that the genius of Dr. Rolf's work is in the ten-series which can result in amazing physical and emotional transformations in a remarkably short period of time. One obvious advantage of this sequence is that it is possible to complete sessions with different Rolfers anywhere since we all understand what you would require if you come us and say: "I'm here for my 5th hour." This broad standard framework assures a high and consistent level of work throughout the world.

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WHAT ARE SOME BOOKS I CAN READ TO LEARN ABOUT ROLFING?

Selected Annotated Bibliography on Rolfing:

Anson, Briah. Rolfing: Stories of Personal Empowerment (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Press, 1998). Inspiring and insightful accounts of the Rolfing experience as reported by numerous former Rolfing clients.

Bond, Mary. Balancing Your Body: A Self-Help Approach to Rolfing to Balancing the Body (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1993).

Cottingham, John T. Healing Through Touch (Boulder, CO, The Rolf Institute, 1985). Exploration of methods of healing going back 5,000 years.

Fahey, Brian W., PhD. The Power of Balance: A Rolfing View of Health (Portland, OR: Metamorphous Press, 1995). A very accessible summary of the basic Rolfing theory and movement.

Feitus, Rosemary, ed. Remembering Ida Rolf, (Berkeley, CA, North Atlantic Books, 1996). Collection of stories from people who knew Dr. Rolf.

Maitland, Jeffrey, PhD. Spacious Body: Explorations in Somatic Ontology (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1995). Philosophical consideration of embodiment, Buddhism and the Rolfing experience.

Ida Rolf Talks about Rolfing and Physical Reality. Rosemary Feitis, ed. . Reprinted ed. (Boulder, CO, The Rolf Institute, 1978). A collection of quotes on bodywork and a variety of topics of interest to Dr. Rolf.

Rolf, Ida. Rolfing: Reestablishing the Natural Alignment and Structural Integration of the Human Body for Vitality and Well-being. Reprinted Ed. (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1989). The bible of Rolfing completed late in Dr. Rolf's long career.

Schultz, R. Louis, PhD. Out in the Open: The Complete Male Pelvis (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1999). A unique look at the structural and psychological issues involved in the male pelvis from a Rolfing perspective.

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DOES ROLFING HURT?

Safe and effective, Rolfing is a deeply penetrating therapy modality, that is enormously transformational. Receiving a Rolfing treatment ranges from feeling pleasantly relaxing to momentarily uncomfortable. You might experience a light or intense burning sensation or soreness in an area in which you hold restriction and tightness, but that intensity should always feel appropriate, welcome and manageable, and should quickly pass as your tissue releases. At other times, the contact might feel neutral or pleasant. Continuous communication and a good rapport between the client and the therapist are essential, to determine the pace, the level of intensity, and when to stop working on an area that has been successfully released.

Often clients describe the Rolfing sensation as intense, yet immensely pleasurable and satisfying. Most clients, who are worried about Rolfing being painful, cease to have that be an issue after their first session. In fact, often clients are reluctant to return to lighter-touch therapies, because they have come to learn how beneficial and transforming the Rolfing work can be .

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MASSAGE AND ROLFING?

When people come to Rolfers, they frequently complain about their high level of stress and how it affects their everyday life. They are seeking some means of reducing their stress. Often, they have explored allopathic means such as muscle relaxants, painkillers, liniments, balms and other topical treatments. When these treatments fail to achieve a satisfactory level of improvement, those still suffering seek other forms of relief such as exercise, meditation, yoga, visualization and chanting. They may also seek a myofascial (neuromuscular) solution and start receiving regular massages or some other similar soft tissue therapy. In many cases, these therapies are good at providing transitory relief of the physical causes of chronic stress. Those seeking a more permanent solution to the problem are more likely to have success with Rolfing.

What most potential clients fail to understand is that Rolfing is not a method which focuses on stress reduction. What the Rolfing method does is create a higher level of integration in the body, balancing and educating the body and the psyche. As the body approaches balance, it is more comfortable in the gravitational field. As the body becomes more comfortable, physical and emotional stress diminish. This chain of events is a more typical sequence of events as a body changes during the Rolfing process. Ultimately, however, the results as experienced by the client are more important than the process. All clients experience benefits from Rolfing, an important one for most is that they are less stressed and more at ease in their bodies.

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WHO SHOULD CONSIDER ROLFING?

According to Dr. Rolf, all bodies have some degree of disorder and compensation in their structure; therefore she believed that everyone should receive Rolfing structural integration. In fact, in her global vision, she imagined a more evolved and structurally efficient human species as a result of Rolfing. However, we realize that most potential clients need more compelling reasons to undergo this powerful transformative sequence of session. It is possible to divide those who come to Rolfing into two groups.

The first and largest group who should consider Rolfing are those who have a history of injury or trauma and notice that the effects of their often minor injuries are beginning to interfere with their everyday lives. In many cases these individuals have tried traditional medical treatments or exercise to reduce or counteract the long-term effects of old injuries with varying degrees of success. This group might include former and current athletes, musicians, performers or those engaged in physically demanding jobs who choose not to accept the notion that the quality of their lives must suffer simply because they are aging. In fact, all adults of any age who suffer from any limiting physical discomfort can absolutely benefit from Rolfing as long as the pains themselves are in the neuromuscular system and not signs of a nervous disorder or a deeper pathology. For most of us, Rolfing combined with appropriate movement therapy and exercise offers a long-lasting solution for connective tissue problems.

The second group are those who are on a spiritual path and who find that their physical limitations prevent them from attaining a higher level of spiritual or emotional peace. Frequently, many on this path assume that the body is something to be transcended rather than something to be honored and loved. For these individuals, Rolfing can serve as an educational resource which allows them a more intimate and comfortable relationship with their physical body, which in turn allows a greater ability to experience greater serenity. Interestingly enough, as the body transforms physically it transforms on other planes as well, so that, while Rolfing's primary focus is the muscular and connective tissue system, it frequently has an even more dramatic effect in seemingly unrelated areas such as the spiritual. Exactly how this happens is still a matter of much debate and speculation. However, the results of the work were of much greater importance than the how or why for Dr. Rolf. The genius of Rolfing is that it can effect so many people in so many ways and continue to reveal new possibilities for such a rich diversity of individuals.

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